On the John Lennon Wall in Prague are lyrics from The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” — “There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.”

Inspired by her trip to the wall, Lindzee Powell tattooed the lyrics on her right arm as a daily reminder of the time she spent living abroad, an experience she said she will cherish forever.

“I guess it spoke to me,” Powell said, a sophomore French major. “As an exchange student and as a person who wants to study languages and travel the world and a big believer of destiny and faith, I believe this quote whole heartedly. You’re meant to be in the exact spot you’re in at any time.”

After graduating high school, Powell deferred her acceptance to Syracuse University. She spent a year abroad in Belgium from August 2012 to July 2013 through the Rotary International Youth Exchange, an exchange program that sends students from all over the world to different countries. Powell lived with three different host families throughout her time in Belgium.

Powell said learning the language and forging relationships with new people were the best parts of her time abroad. Her relationships have stayed strong, as she continues to speak with her host families every two weeks. Since her trip, she has been fluent in French and is pursuing a French major.

“It was probably March when I realized I really knew the language fluently,” Powell said. “I had really good friends and my host family was basically my own family.”

Powell kept a journal and recorded her time abroad. Flipping through this journal is what led her to get her tattoo during Winter Break following the fall 2013 semester.

Stepping out of her comfort zone and being abroad for a year was a learning experience, Powell said, and an experience that she hopes to have again someday.

“The biggest lesson I took away from my exchange would probably be to dare yourself,” Powell said. “You have to dare yourself to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people. Dare to be yourself, and dare to be different.”

Published on April 7, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Gigi: gantonel@syr.edu